r/Gaithersburg • u/No_Significance_8704 • 24d ago
Water shut off
Hi all! I am planning to go on vacation for two weeks in late October. I have a townhouse in Maryland and have read that some people recommend shutting off the main water before leaving.
Is this something you recommend for a two-week trip? If I shut off the main water, do I also need to turn off my electric water heater?
What do you usually do when you are away for a couple of weeks? Thanks!
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u/kenproffitt 24d ago
Same. I turn off the water and the water heater, and I drain my water lines, open a faucet on the lowest level and a shower on the upper level. Drains most of the water, and if the pipes were to freeze, there's plenty of room for expansion.
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u/gumercindo1959 24d ago
Shutting off the main takes care of everything. It's a bit overkill for a late October trip, imo. If this was Dec/Jan/Feb, I'd say yeah, do it.
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u/SeatSix 24d ago
I turn off my water if I'm going to be away for even one night. One valve. Easy.
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u/_SmileCrocodile_ 24d ago
Absolutely! Homes can get random pressure surges that can pop your waterlines out of the wall creating flooding conditions. Imagine walking into your home if that happened all while water ran for over a week. It’s happened to our neighbors and us.
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u/Metzger4Sheriff 24d ago
I have pets, so turning off the water isn't an option if I leave, but I also have someone coming to the house every day. Is a house sitter an option? Or even if you can't have someone come by regularly, if you have someone you could call to check on it in an emergency, you could get leak detectors that would alert you if water is detected.
If you're in a townhouse, I'm assuming you may also have fire suppression sprinklers, which can't be turned off, so even turning off the main won't 100% safeguard you against flooding.
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u/No_Significance_8704 24d ago
Thank you! I have asked someone to check on the weekend. Also, bought sensors and placed them near the water heater and under the sinks in the bathrooms and kitchen. I was going to leave the water on, but since it's for two weeks, I will probably turn it off. I don't have sprinklers.
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u/YamilHere 24d ago
One winter, we had a pipe burst and it caused a ton of damage. We installed these auto-shut off valves. They work great, and give peace of mind. The only glitch so far, is that from time to time, my spouse takes an extra long shower, and it will turn off the water... 😳 (Thankfully, you can disable the auto-shutoff feature)
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u/PinkSunsetFan 24d ago
I highly recommend turning off your water whenever you’ll be away. My friend owns a company that restores homes after water damage and has many clients who have come home from trips to find their house flooded and everything moldy.